Log type building unit

ABSTRACT

A basic building log or member from which a building with a number of abutting walls can be formed. Each basic log has a first ledge portion at one end of its length, a second ledge portion at the other end of its length for mating with the first ledge portion of a member in an abutting wall, a tongue portion extending along the length of the log on one side thereof from one ledge portion to the other and grooves opening on the side opposite the side of the basic unit with the tongue portion for receiving the tongue portion of another member in the same wall. Preferably, the basic member is used with a number of sill members which form the base of the structure and which have a tongue portion but no groove and with a number of cap members which are provided with a groove but are flat on the other side which forms the top of each of the abutting walls. If desired, tongue and groove members can be provided respectively on the first and second ledge portions for further locking the members in abutting walls together or the surfaces can be inclined to mate together to lap the corners. Preferably, each of the tongue portions has a cross-sectional dimension near its top which exceeds a dimension near its bottom so that tongue portions snap into the associated groove portions to lock the members together.

United States Patent Moore 1 1 LOG TYPE BUILDING UNIT [22] Filed: April 3, 1970 [21] Appl.No.: 25,394

[72] Inventor:

[5 2] US. Cl ..52/233, 46/20, 46/25, 46/29, 52/536, 52/595, 287/2092 Y [51] Int. Cl. ..E04b 1/10, A63h 33/08 [58] Field of Search ..46/25, 20, 29; 52/233, 593, 52/594, 536; 287/2092 Y, 20.92 G

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,566,531 3/1971 I-Iasel et a1. ..56/25 2,712,678 7/1955 Jensen ..52/233 1,527,684 2/1925 Hull ..52/594 2,013,771 9/1935 Tompkins... .....46/25 435,759 9/1890 Marter ..52/594 2,020,562 11/1935 Miller ..46/25 3,381,428 5/1968 Sillman ..52/233 3,479,763 1 1/1969 Fischer ..46/25 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 1,345,722 11/1963 France ..52/223 221,755 9/1924 Great Britain. ....46/25 69,910 11/1969 Germany ..52/536 1,216,168 5/1966 Germany ..46/25 45] July 18,1972

1,175,582 3/1958 France ..52/591 1,452,263 8/1966 France ..52/233 Primary Examiner-Frank L. Abbott Assistant Examinerbeslie A. Braun AttorneyCushman, Darby & Cushman ABSTRACT A basic building log or member from which a building with a number of abutting walls can be formed. Each basic log has a first ledge portion at one end of its length, a second ledge portion at the other end of its length for mating with the first ledge portion of a member in an abutting wall, a tongue portion extending along the length of the log on one side thereof from one ledge portion to the other and grooves opening on the side opposite the side of the basic unit with the tongue portion for receiving the tongue portion of another member in the same wall. Preferably, the basic member is used with a number of sill members which form the base of the structure and which have a tongue portion but no groove and with a number of cap members which are provided with a groove but are flat on the other side which forms the top of each of the abutting walls. If desired, tongue and groove members can be provided respec-' tively on the first and second ledge portions for further locking the members in abutting walls together or the surfaces can be inclined to mate together to lap the corners. Preferably, each of the tongue portions has a crosssectional dimension near its top which exceeds a dimension near its bottom so that tongue portions snap into the associated groove portions to lock the members together.

9 Claims, 28 Drawing Figures PATENTEIJ JUL 1 8 I972 SHEET 1 BF 5 INVENTOR JAN .3 Mazg ATTORNEYS maminwuamz 3.676969 SHEET 2 BF 5 INVENTOR ATTORNEYS PATENTEDJUHBIQTZ v 3.676969 SHEET 5 BF 5 INVENTOR J4/v Z 750/85 ATTORNEYS LOG TYPE BUILDING UNIT BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION place fastening it to the log below it and to adjacent logs in abutting walls. While this technique has much to recommend it by way of simplicity and ease of construction, there are several drawbacks which make it less than satisfactory as a modern construction technique.

First, each of the constituent logs or other members must be held in place and fastened, for example, by nailing, as the structure is formed. This is time consuming and can be inefi'rcient if the entire crew cannot assist in the fastening. Second, some provision must be made in forming the corners for attaching each log to other logs in the abutting walls to make sure that the completed structure will be strong. Both of these requirements considerably slow down formation of the basic shell of the cabin, but still do not always provide the desired strength in the assembled building.

One simple way for permitting the logs to be rapidly stacked one atop the other to form four walls of a shell cabin is to provide each of the logs or members which form most of each wall with a grooved portion on its upper or lower surface, and a tongue portion on the opposite surface for fitting into the corresponding grooved portion on an adjacent log. The patent to Ford, US. Pat. No. 1,910,326, shows a ready-cut building construction of this type whereby logs having such grooves are assembled by fitting them into corresponding structures on preceding logs. The patents to Moog, U.S. Pat. No. 3,410,044, and Anderson U.S. Pat. No. 1,298,855, disclose similar arrangements, having tongues and grooves for locating building blocks.

However, the structures shown in these patents are not completely satisfactory in that they do not provide that the logs or other construction members will be adequately held in place, nor do they provide a wholly satisfactory arrangement for turning the comers quickly and easily so that the logs or members in an abutting wall can be fastened together with ease.

The present invention relates to a building member and a building unit whereby each of the constituent logs or members of the structure is provided with a grooved portion extending along its length on one side thereof, preferably the lower side, and a tongue portion extending along its length on the pposite side, preferably the upper portion. Each end of the log is provided with a ledge portion, one side of each ledge portion being adapted to mate with the opposite side of the ledge portion on the other end of a log or member in an abutting wall so as to easily lap the comer, and in addition provide a flat surface for receiving the ledge portion of the next log or member to be placed atop that log or member.

Further, as discussed in detail below, each of the tongue members is preferably shaped so that a cross-sectional dimension near the top exceeds in length a cross-sectional dimension near its base, and the grooves are correspondingly shaped so that the tongue portions snap into the grooves and provide a tight and semi-permanent fit which holds the logs firmly in place. Even further, one of the ledge portions is preferably provided with a second tongue member which snaps into a similarly shaped groove in the ledge portion at the other end of the member.

Further, this basic building log or member is preferably used with a sill member which is provided only with a tongue member and is flat on its opposing side so that the flat surface of the sill member forms the base of each wall of the shell cabin. A cap log or member similarly having a grooved portion on one side thereof and a flat portion on the other side preferably forms the top of each wall and provides a flat surface on the top of the wall upon which a roof or other closure can be mounted.

Many other objects and purposes of the invention will become clear from the following detailed description of the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 shows a side view of the basic building log or member of this invention.

FIG. 2 shows an end view of the member of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 shows the other end view of the member of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 shows a side view of a cap member for use with the basic building member shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 shows an end view of the member of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 shows the other end view of the member of FIG. 4.

FIG. 7 shows a side view of a sill member for use with the basic building member of FIG. 1.

FIG. 8 shows an end view of the sill member of FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 shows the other end view of the sill member of FIG. 7.

FIG. 10 shows an exploded structure formed with the three building members of FIGS. 1, 4 and 7.

FIG. 1 1 shows a side view of another basic building member of this invention.

FIG. 12 shows an end view of the member of FIG. I 1.

FIG. 13 shows the other end view of the member of FIG. 11.

FIG. 14 shows a side view of a cap member for use with the basic unit member of FIG. 11.

FIG. 15 shows an end view of the member of FIG. 14.

FIG. 16 shows the other end view of the member of FIG. 14.

FIG. 17 shows a side view of a sill member for use with the basic member of FIG. 11.

FIG. 18 shows a top view of the sill member of FIG. 17.

FIG. 19 shows a side view of another basic building member of this invention.

FIG. 20 shows a top view of the member of FIG. 19.

FIG. 21 shows a side view of a cap member for use with a basic member such as shown in FIG. 19.

FIG. 22 shows a bottom view of the member of FIG. 21.

FIG. 23 shows a side view of another basic building member of this invention.

FIG. 24 shows a side view of a sill member for use with the basic building member shown in FIG. 23.

FIG. 25 shows a side view of a cap member for use with a basic building member shown in FIG. 23.

FIG. 26 shows an assembled unit using the basic building members,cap members and sill members of FIGS. 23, 24 and 25.

FIG. 27 shows a side view of on end of a basic building member.

FIG. 28 shows a side view of the other end of the basic building member shown in FIG. 27

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART Reference is now made to FIG. 1 which shows a first embodiment of the basic building log or member with which a structure comprised of a plurality of abutting walls can be easily and quickly assembled. As shown, log or member 40 has a tongue portion 42 extending along its length from one end to the other, and tongue portion 42, as can be seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, preferably has a cross-sectional dimension near its top which exceeds a cross-sectional dimension near its base for locking tongue portion 42 into a matching groove portion of another log, like log 40, which snaps in place atop it as discussed below with regard to FIG. 10. Member 40, as well as the other members discussed below, may be made out of any suitable material such as plastic, metal or other material, but urethane or other plastic is preferred.

Member 40 further has formed in its interior and opening onto the side opposite from the side of member 40 occupied by tongue portion 42, a matching groove 44 which runs beneath tongued portion 42 from one end to the other end of member 40 and is adapted to receive the tongue portion of a log mounted below it. Sufficient material is provided in the region between the tongue portion 42 and the groove 44, as can be seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, so as to provide sufficient strength for log 40.

Further, as can be seen in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, the building member or log 40 is provided at each end with a ledge portion which is used to lap the corners of the building which is assembled with logs such as log 40. In this embodiment, ledge 48 is provided with a roughly flat upper surface and has a grooved portion 50 formed within it opening onto its lower surface. Ledge 51 is provided with a cap member 52 which extends upward from its upper flat surface as shown, and the opposite side of ledge 51 from the side occupied by cap member 52 is a relatively flat surface. As should be apparent from FIGS. 1-3, cap member 52, similar to groove member 42, has a cross-sectional dimension near its top which exceeds a dimension near its base, so that it can be easily snapped into a groove, such as groove 50, in a log or building member in an abutting wall, and will be semi-permanently held securely in place. When cap 52 is snapped into such a groove, a flat surface adjacent tongue portion 42 and level with the bottom of the tongue portion 42 results and this flat surface provides a surface onto which the bottom of the next ledge can rest as the logs are fitted together to form the abutting walls.

FIGS. 4-6 show a cap member which can be used in conjunction with the basic building member or log depicted in FIGS. 1-3 to construct a building having four sides and a flat top. As should be apparent, member 60 similar to member 40, is provided with two ledge portions and an interior grooved portion 66 which runs along the length of member 60 from one ledge portion to the other, and which receives a tongue portion, such as portion 42, of the log immediately beneath it. Like log 42, cap log 60 is provided with a cap member 62 on one of the end ledges and a matching groove 64 on the other end ledge. Cap member 62 snaps into a groove, such as groove 64, on the ledge of a cap member in an abutting wall, and the upper surface of member 60 is flat as shown to provide a flat surface for mounting the roof.

Similarly, FIGS. 7-9 show a base or sill member which also can be used in conjunction with the basic building unit of FIGS. 1-3 in order to construct a simple structure having a plurality of abutting walls. Sill member 70 is provided with a relatively flat lower surface which lies or can be fastened to a cement or other base, such as a wood deck, and has on its upper surface a tongue portion 72 which is shaped in the same fashion as tongue 42 and is adapted to snap into a groove, such as groove 44, of the basic building log 40 as shown in FIG. 1. Further, member 70 is provided with a single end ledge with relatively flat bottom and top surfaces for providing a surface onto which the ledges of logs such as log 40 can be set in assembling a shell cabin.

Reference is now made to FIG. which depicts four sill members, four basic unit members and four cap members in an exploded view illustrating how the various members fit together to form a basic shell cabin with four abutting walls. As can be seen in FIG. 10, four sill members labelled 80, 82, 84 and 86 are first laid on a concrete or other slab with the ledge portions of each abutting the end of the adjacent one which is not provided with a ledge portion. Thus, each of the four corners of the abutting members 80, 82, 84 and 86 is provided with a flat surface onto which the ledges of the next logs can be placed. Next, a first layer of the basic building units, such as log 40, are placed atop sills 80, 82, 84 and 86 with the matching grooves opening onto the bottom of each member snapping into place and locking over the tongue portions of members 80, 82, 84 and 86. The basic members in the first layer members are also locked together by means of the cap members and grooves in the ledges as shown in FIG. 1. In the embodiment of FIG. 10, only four basic members 90, 94, 96 and 98 are shown, but it will be appreciated that in the normal building many layers of the basic units will be used between the cap and the sill layers. Finally, when the four walls of the building have been raised to the desired height, they are capped by the four cap members 100, 102, 104 and 106 as illustrated in FIG. 10 and, as explained in detail below, which have a flat upper surface with grooves opening onto the lower surface for receiving the tongued portion of basic members 90, 92, 94 and 96.

Reference is now made to FIG. 11 which shows a modification of the embodiment of FIG. 1 with which a building having a number of abutting walls can be simply and easily formed. In this embodiment, member 10 is provided with a tongue portion 112 on its upper surface in the same manner as in the embodiment of FIG. 1, and also with a groove 114 opening onto its lower surface. However, in this embodiment the end ledges are roughly flat, and matching surfaces 116 and 118 can be easily fastened together after the members in the abutting walls are in place by nails or any other suitable fasteners. Similarly, the cap member illustrated in FIG. 14 is provided with a relatively flat upper surface 120, and a grooved portion 122 opening into the bottom thereof for receiving a tongue portion, such as portion 1 12 of FIG. 11. A sill member for use with a basic log such as illustrated in FIG. 11 is depicted in FIGS. 17 and 18, and, as shown, sill member 123 is provided with a tongue portion 124 and a single end ledge 126 having a relatively flat surface on which the ledge of the log placed atop sill member 123 rests.

Yet another embodiment of the invention is illustrated in FIG. 19 which shows another modification of the structure of FIG. 1 in which each of the basic building members such as 130 is provided with a tongue portion 132 and a matching groove 134. However, the embodiment of FIGS. 19 and 20 differs from the embodiments discussed above in that mating ledge surfaces of the respective end portions are inclined as shown in order to provide a better match and to better lap the joints. A cap member for use with the embodiment of FIGS. 19 and 20 depicted in FIGS. 21 and 22 in which cap member is provided with a suitable groove 142 matching a tongue portion such as portion 132. The sill member depicted in FIGS. 17 and 18 can be used in conjunction with the basic building member of FIG. 19.

FIG. 23 shows a side view of yet another embodiment of the invention for a basic log. Member 146 differs from the other embodiments described above primarily in that the end ledge surface which matches with the corresponding ledge portion on the other end of 146 is included in two dimensions in order to provide a good fit. A side view of a cap member 148 having a groove 150 and suitable for use with the arrangement illustrated in FIG. 28 is depicted in FIG. 25 and a suitable sill member 152 with a tongue portion 154 is shown in FIG. 24. FIG. 26 shows an assembled building of four walls using the basic building members of FIG. 23.

FIGS. 27 and 28 depict a modification wherein one ledge of basic log is provided with a cylindrical member 162 on its lower surface which matches with a matching cylindrical cavity 164 in a log 166 of an abutting wall. The ledge on the other end of log 166 has a cylindrical member 168 on its upper surface mating with a cavity 170 in the lower surface of the ledge of log 172.

Many changes and modifications of the above discussed embodiment are, of course, possible without departing from the scope of that invention, and accordingly that scope is intended to be limited only by the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A building structure comprising a plurality of building members in a plurality of abutting walls, each member having a length substantially greater than its width and substantially greater than its height having a first ledge portion at one end of its length and a ledge male portion extending outward from one side, having a second ledge portion at the other end of said length having a ledge female portion extending into said member from the opposite side thereof for receiving the male portion of another member in an abutting wall, having a tongue portion extending along said member, on first side thereof, from said one end to said other end and having a groove on the side of said member opposite from the side occupied by said tongue portion mating with the tongue portion on another member in the same wall, said tongue portion having a cross-sectional dimension near its top exceeding a crosssectional dimension near its bottom and each groove having similar dimensions such that said tongue portions snap into and clamp the associated groove portion.

2. A structure as in claim 1 further including a first member in each said wall having a tongue portion extending along said first member and mating with the groove of one of said building members and having a relatively flat portion on the side of said member opposite from the side occupied by said tongue portion and a second member in each said wall having a groove extending along said first member and mating with the tongue portion of another of said building members and having a relatively flat portion on the side of said member opposite from the side occupied by said groove.

3. A structure as in claim 2 wherein all of said tongue portions are on the tops of the respective building members, wherein said tongue portions of said first members are on the tops of said first members and said first members are each the bottom member in their wall and wherein the grooves of said second members are on the bottoms of said second members and said second members are each the top member in their wall.

4. A structure as in claim 1 wherein said tongue portions and grooves extend the length of said building members exclusive of said ledge portions.

5. A structure as in claim 1 wherein said male portion has a cross-sectional dimension near its top exceeding a cross-sectional dimension near its bottom and each female portion having similar dimensions for snapping into and clamping the associated male portion.

6. A building member for use in assembling a building having a plurality of abutting walls having a length substantially greater than its width and substantially greater than its height, having a first ledge portion at one end of its length and a ledge male portion extending outward from one side of said member, having a second ledge portion at the other end of its length having a ledge female portion extending into said member from the opposite side thereof for receiving a male portion of a member in an abutting wall, having a tongue portion extending along the length of said member on first side thereof from said one end to said other end and having a groove therein on the other side opposite said first side extending along the length of said member from said one end to said other end for receiving a tongue portion of another member in the same wall, said tongue portion having a crosssectional dimension near its top exceeding a cross-sectional dimension near its bottom and each groove having similar dimension for snapping into and clamping the associated tongue portion.

7. A member as in claim 6 wherein said member further has a roughly flat surface on the other side of said first ledge portion and has a roughly flat surface on the other side of said second ledge portion for matching with the flat surface on said other side of a first ledge portion of another member in another abutting wall.

8. A member as in claim 7 wherein said flat surface on said other side of said first ledge portion extends level with the opening of said groove on said other side and said flat surface on said other side of said second ledge portion extending level with the bottom of said tongue.

9. A member as in claim 7 wherein said male portion has a cross-sectional dimension near its top exceeding a cross-sectional dimension near its bottom and each female portion having similar dimensions for snapping into and clamping the associated male portion. 

1. A building structure comprising a plurality of building members in a plurality of abutting walls, each member having a length substantially greater than its width and substantially greater than its height having a first ledge portion at one end of its length and a ledge male portion extending outward from one side, having a second ledge portion at the other end of said length having a ledge female portion extending into said member from the opposite side thereof for receiving the male portion of another member in an abutting wall, having a tongue portion extending along said member, on first side thereof, from said one end to said other end and having a groove on the side of said member opposite from the side occupied by said tongue portion mating with the tongue portion on another member in the same wall, said tongue portion having a cross-sectional dimension near its top exceeding a cross-sectional dimension near its bottom and each groove having similar dimensions such that said tongue portions snap into and clamp the associated groove portion.
 2. A structure as in claim 1 further including a first member in each said wall having a tongue portion extending along said first member and mating with the groove of one of said building members and having a relatively flat portion on the side of said member opposite from the side occupied by said tongue portion and a second member in each said wall having a groove extending along said first member and mating with the tongue portion of another of said building members and having a relatively flat portion on the side of said member opposite from the side occupied by said groove.
 3. A structure as in claim 2 wherein all of said tongue portions are on the tops of the respective building members, wherein said tongue portions of said first members are on the tops of said first members and said first members are each the bottom member in their wall and wherein the grooves of said second members are on the bottoms of said second members and said second members are each the top member in their wall.
 4. A structure as in claim 1 wherein said tongue portions and grooves extend the length of said building members exclusive of said ledge portions.
 5. A structure as in claim 1 wherein said male portion has a cross-sectional dimeNsion near its top exceeding a cross-sectional dimension near its bottom and each female portion having similar dimensions for snapping into and clamping the associated male portion.
 6. A building member for use in assembling a building having a plurality of abutting walls having a length substantially greater than its width and substantially greater than its height, having a first ledge portion at one end of its length and a ledge male portion extending outward from one side of said member, having a second ledge portion at the other end of its length having a ledge female portion extending into said member from the opposite side thereof for receiving a male portion of a member in an abutting wall, having a tongue portion extending along the length of said member on first side thereof from said one end to said other end and having a groove therein on the other side opposite said first side extending along the length of said member from said one end to said other end for receiving a tongue portion of another member in the same wall, said tongue portion having a cross-sectional dimension near its top exceeding a cross-sectional dimension near its bottom and each groove having similar dimension for snapping into and clamping the associated tongue portion.
 7. A member as in claim 6 wherein said member further has a roughly flat surface on the other side of said first ledge portion and has a roughly flat surface on the other side of said second ledge portion for matching with the flat surface on said other side of a first ledge portion of another member in another abutting wall.
 8. A member as in claim 7 wherein said flat surface on said other side of said first ledge portion extends level with the opening of said groove on said other side and said flat surface on said other side of said second ledge portion extending level with the bottom of said tongue.
 9. A member as in claim 7 wherein said male portion has a cross-sectional dimension near its top exceeding a cross-sectional dimension near its bottom and each female portion having similar dimensions for snapping into and clamping the associated male portion. 